


PROLOGUE: Tales From the Breach

by eadreytheiptscray



Series: A Rare Thing, Indeed [1]
Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Stranger Things Fusion, Gen, K-Day (Pacific Rim), Kaiju War (Pacific Rim), Origin Story, Prologue, The Upside Down
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-13
Updated: 2019-02-24
Packaged: 2019-10-27 06:58:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17762003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eadreytheiptscray/pseuds/eadreytheiptscray
Summary: Like the printing press' invention, Archduke Ferdinand's assassination, and the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, K-Day—August 10, 2013—would cement itself in world history. The world would only realize it years later.An AU where the Anteverse is the Upside Down, albeit with different origins and inhabitants than in "Stranger Things."The prequel to the main story revolving around Raleigh Becket and Mako Mori, Tales From the Breach follows a small band of heroes—some famous, some obscure—as they discover a portal between Earth and the Anteverse. You'll read all about...- Luna Pentecost's involvement in the covert Kaiju War- the reason the Kaiju War was kept secret- the fanon inspiration for the "Stranger Things" TV show- Trespasser's rampage through Pacific Rim National Park Reserve- the expanded lore behind the "A Rare Thing, Indeed" seriesThis is NOT required reading for the main story. It's just here if you'd like to learn more about what happened in between K-Day and Raleigh and Mako's first Drift in college.





	1. The Breach

**What We Lost and Gained on K-Day** : An Essay by Naomi Sokolov

* * *

The cedar giant had stood tall and proud for centuries. It had weathered countless storms, bitter winters, and brutal summers. It had seen nations rise and fall like Pacific Ocean tides. Had it not been for an alien race hell-bent on survival, it could have stood for millennia.

On August 10, 2013, those aliens—the Precursors, we later learned—took advantage of a weak spot between our world and theirs. We may never know how they discovered the vulnerability or how long it took them to carve that portal. What we do know is that just shy of 7 a.m. local time, a park ranger discovered the 18-foot (5.5-meter) wound in the massive tree trunk.

"Unearthly" was how she described it. The Breach. Violet and red light seemed to pulse from inside the tree trunk. "I thought it was my eyes playing tricks on me," Ms. Emily Scott said, "but then I poked my head in and yep, I was looking straight at an alien planet."

It didn't take long for local armed forces to respond to the strange SOS. Luna Pentecost was one of eight members of a small recon squadron tasked with investigating the Breach and the alien world beyond. The first heroes of the Kaiju War figured out very quickly what we were dealing with.

"A whole lotta sci-fi crap," one of the mission's radio operators recalled years later. "You know that show Stranger Things? Pretty sure one of the concept artists survived a trip through the Breach."

He was wrong, of course. Those soldiers would have died from radiation poisoning had the first kaiju, Trespasser, not killed the entire squadron first. Hearing the screams over the radio—the K-Day vets say they still get nightmares.

Just as the sun was peeking over the horizon on August 10, Trespasser rampaged through the dense rainforest, mowing down trees, wildlife, and hikers in its wake. We still don't know what it was after. Maybe it was headed for the Pacific Ocean or one of the many lakes sprinkled around the national park. Maybe it was targeting civilization—rural villages, towns, and bustling cities stood mere miles away. Regardless, the second it killed those brave men and women, humanity painted a target on its back.

Unfortunately, it took five days for us to find the creature. Pacific Rim National Park Reserve was massive. Sending fully armed soldiers and tanks into British Columbia's crown jewel was a risky PR move. Instead, a few dozen volunteers—some from halfway around the world, like Stacker Pentecost and Tamsin Sevier—came to aid US and Canadian forces in the first battle of the Kaiju War. But when it became clear that bullets simply bounced off the kaiju's tough hide, we had to resort to unpleasant measures. A barrage of tank missiles finally took the beast down.

We couldn't let word get out that an alien race had invaded Earth through a hole in a tree. People would panic. Economies would implode. But we couldn't shrug off the skirmish so easily. Thanks to quick-thinking marketing execs, we labeled the explosions and the forest devastation and the casualties as a "training exercise."

Everyone lost something—or someone—on K-Day, whether they realized it or not. The soldiers on the front lines lost friends and loved ones. The hikers on the trail lost their sense of security. And the entire world lost its freedom. But if the Precursors assumed we would take those losses lying down, they had another thing coming. Fueled by rage, determination, and defiance, the human race rose up to fight back.

And that's how the Jaeger Program was born.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had this write-up sitting in my Google Drive for weeks, so I thought I'd go ahead and publish it. Unlike Parts One through Five of the "A Rare Thing, Indeed" series, this prequel won't be updated regularly. But I've had such a great time combining Pacific Rim and Stranger Things lore that I'd like to have some place to share the bits that didn't make it into the main story. (Plus, when I do finish my main story, I want a chance to keep writing about this alternate universe.)
> 
> Hope you enjoy it!


	2. Do Your Part to Bring Our Heroes Home

**JOIN THE PPDC ASSET RETRIEVAL TEAM**  
  
Now accepting volunteers through December 31, 2023

* * *

 

Jaeger pilots risk their lives every time they step through the Breach. Each pilot deserves to come home, no matter the outcome of the mission. The Pan-Pacific Defense Corps needs brave men and women like you to bring our heroes home.

As a PPDC Asset Retrieval Technician, you will be equipped with everything you need to locate and retrieve jaegers and, if necessary, their pilots. The PPDC will provide your team with state-of-the-art search-and-rescue technology, including heavy-duty drivesuits and all-terrain vehicles.

Since it was established in 2016, the PPDC Asset Retrieval Team has successfully recovered…

\- CHERNO ALPHA and pilots Roman Kuznetsov and Anzhelika Malikova  
\- HORIZON BRAVE and pilots Lo Hin Shen and Xichi Po  
\- LADY DANGER pilot Yancy Becket  
\- COYOTE TANGO and pilots Gunnar and Vic Tunari  
\- ROMEO BLUE and pilots Bruce and Trevin Gage  
  
… along with dozens of jaegers destroyed by the kaiju.

Do your part in the Kaiju War. Join the PPDC Asset Retrieval Team today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fans of Pacific Rim Uprising might recognize the name "Malikova" here. 
> 
> Vik, one of the Russian cadets, always thought the Kaidonovskys were her parents. While that's not true in canon or in this fic, it's my headcanon that she's the daughter of Cherno Alpha's first pilots. (Vik's story deserves a silver lining—she's been through so much!)


End file.
